Getting a pizza is usually quite an exciting event. It’s so easy to order one up and not too many minutes later receive it, hot and ready for consumption from a friendly face at your front door. Despite the wait not being a long one though, depending on your level of hunger and intoxication, it can feel like an eternity, which is why Domino’s, one of the world’s favourite pizza delivery firms, has partnered with Navman Wireless to offer tracking services for its pizza delivery drivers.
This means that those eagerly awaiting their delivery will be able to see exactly how far away it is, tracking the driver in real time from the depot to their door. This will be built right into the already implemented “track your pizza,” system, which lets buyers see the status of their order from creation, to cooking and now, right through to delivery.
However, as much as Domino’s is talking up the fact that customers will be able to benefit from the system, telematics has many other plus points which will be brought to bear because of the introduction of the technology. Since drivers can be tracked at all times, it will allow the pizza chain to make sure no one is using the vehicles for out-of-ours, personal trips. Fuel usage can also be kept an eye on, so drivers putting their foot down a bit too often can be brought up on it and given added training.
Driver safety is also paramount according to Domino’s CEO, Don Meij, who said he hoped that the technology would help reduce the numbers of ‘incidents’ that drivers were a part of:
“When we say ‘incidents’, it could be something like a wheel rubbing against the gutter, or a car door at the touch of a tree. These drivers are out and about, and that’s what we refer to as incidents,” he said.
“But anything from a significant safety perspective, it’s very rare and infrequent. But it’s still managing people and transport items, and for us it’s important and something we thought we need to track to make sure we could bring those numbers down.”
Unfortunately for those excited to be able to watch their pizza through its whole chain of delivery, a trial run will be completed before a full roll out and it’s only set to take place in 50 stores in Australia first. New Zealand outlets will get a look in by the end of July, though if successful, it could be brought to the many other countries around the world that Domino’s has a big stake in.
